It was noticeable how Ireland Under-20 coach Mike Ruddock convened with a core group of coaches and recent international players after his side's 29-10 win over the Italy U-20s at a wet Donnybrook on Thursday.

Speaking after the five-try victory, Ruddock said: "The boys have plenty of technical support and plenty of advice from men who have been there before. It is a great opportunity for them.

"I've tried to access some of my contacts in Irish rugby from previous times. The likes of Reggie Corrigan and Girvan Dempsey and Colin McEntee have been more than willing to come and help out, alongside myself and Niall Malone."

This was the start of a long journey for the Ireland Under-20s that will take in the 2011 RBS U-20 6 Nations - Ruddock's side face a trip to Italy first up - and the 2011 IRB Junior World Championship, which will also be staged in Treviso, Italy next June.

The Irish youngsters were quickly into their stride at Donnybrook, striking for five first half tries, two from their exciting winger Sam Coghlan Murray, in an expansive approach to seeking out space.

"We try to get guys into that space behind the defensive line either out wide or by using good footwork to get into the corridor either side of the defence and offloading if it is on," explained Ruddock.

"I thought some of our play in the first half, some of the angles we cut were fantastic.

"We have had two small camps for the players trying to get the guys together. I was looking forward to see how they would play.

"In the first half, we played some great rugby and scored some fantastic tries. It looked like we had taken on board some of the skills we are trying to put into the team for how we want to play the game."

Thereafter, the multiple replacements and the deteriorating weather meant the game got bogged down in the tight. This suited Italy down to the ground, which was where the ball ended up on many occasions.

"Italy changed their whole front row, changed their gameplan and kept the ball tight. Given the change of emphasis, we rarely got the ball in the second half," added Ruddock, whose son Rhys made his Ireland senior debut against Australia in June.

"In one way, that was perfect. We had shown we could attack. We had scored five tries. Then, we had to defend. We showed the grit and determination to keep a clean sheet in the second half."

The countdown is on to the Women's Sevens Dublin tournament in UCD on August 22-23. Anthony Eddy, IRFU Director of Rugby Sevens & Women's Rugby, previews what promises to be an exciting couple of days.

Tickets for the tournament start at 5 euro, with children free, and are available to buy here - http://www.ticketmaster.ie/Womens-Sevens-Series-tickets/artist/2134381?tm_link=artist_artistvenue_module.

Jenny Murphy talks about the progress made by the Ireland Women's Sevens team and their pool draw for the upcoming Women's Sevens Dublin tournament in UCD on August 22-23.

Tickets for the tournament start at 5 euro, with children free, and are available to buy here - http://www.ticketmaster.ie/Womens-Sevens-Series-tickets/artist/2134381?tm_link=artist_artistvenue_module.

Conor Murray and Tommy Bowe speak to Irish Rugby TV about their Rugby World Cup preparations and thank the thousands of supporters who came out to see the players at the open training session at the Sportsground.

Ireland captain Paul O'Connell gives his verdict on the team's new Rugby World Cup jersey and talks about his move to French club Toulon. Ireland's RWC 2015 range is available to pre-order now from http://shop.irishrugby.ie.

Anthony Eddy, IRFU Director of Rugby Sevens, talks about the target of a top three finish for both the Ireland Men and Women in Lisbon this weekend, as they continue on their quests for Olympic qualification.

Tom Daly, who recently captained the Ireland Men's Sevens team to the European Division C and B titles, is looking forward to playing in this weekend's Rugby Europe Olympic Repechage tournament in Lisbon, Portugal.

Ireland will host the 'Women's Sevens Dublin' at UCD on Saturday, August 22 and Sunday, August 23. Tournament director Garrett Tubridy and Ireland stars Lucy Mulhall, Jenny Murphy and Louise Galvin speak about their excitement ahead of the World Rugby Women's Sevens Series qualifier.

Coach Allen Clarke and stand-in captain Billy Holland answer questions from the media following Emerging Ireland's 45-12 victory over Georgia in the final round of their successful Tbilisi Cup campaign.

Emerging Ireland coach Allen Clarke speaks about his side's five-try 33-7 win over Uruguay in the Tbilisi Cup and the first half injury to captain Rhys Ruddock. They wrap up the tournament against hosts Georgia on Sunday.

Speaking about the floods that occurred following the Tbilisi Cup's first round, Emerging Ireland team manager Joey Miles said: "A natural event like that, a tragedy like that puts the game of rugby into perspective. We express our regrets to the Georgian people and the Georgian Union for the terrible tragedy that they had."

David O'Reilly from the IRFU Charitable Trust's Corporate Patrons Committee speaks about the new scheme which provides businesses with unique networking opportunities and provides a platform for companies to effectively activate their CSR programmes. For further information, please contact Linda Black of the Charitable Trust - telephone (01) 6473866 or email: linda.black@irfu.ie / http://www.irishrugby.ie/news/34728.php.